Caabu condemns Spectator for hosting Melanie Phillips’ racist diatribe

Caabu has criticised the Spectator for continuing to host columnist Melanie Phillips, after the publication refused to retract an article that racially attacked Arabs. In a commentary on the murder of an Israeli settler family (Armchair Barbarism, 13 March 2011), Phillips referred to “the moral depravity of the Arabs” and suggested that the Israelis will “quite rightly” never trust any agreement with “such savages”.  Caabu complained to the Spectator and discussed the matter with editor, Fraser Nelson, shortly after the online piece was published. The article remains on the Spectator website, despite the Press Complaints Commission investigating. Caabu Director, Chris Doyle, commented: “The killing of the Fogel family is a truly horrific incident, but to use this tragedy to attack an entire people in such a fashion is simply dreadful. No evidence has been presented to show that a Palestinian was involved in the killings, and whilst incidents of settler violence against Palestinians are on the rise across the Occupied Territories, it would rightly be deemed intolerable to refer to the “moral depravity of the Jews”. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to make broad statements about an entire ethnic or racial group, based upon the actions of an individual or individuals. “It is a shame that a publication as respected as the Spectator should play host to the nonsensical ramblings and racial slurs of Melanie Phillips.”